A Little Bit Closer
by eastberlin
Summary: Abbie lends Toni a hand.


Abbie wasn't sure whether defense counsel in this particular case was going out of his way to be the biggest pain in the ass he could be or whether the man was just an idiot. Either way, this was the third time he had sent a fax to her that should have gone to Toni, or vice versa, and as soon as his secretary called to let her know he was in the office, Abbie was giving him a piece of her mind. Although, truth be told, she really didn't mind having an excuse to see Toni.

She was just outside Toni's door when she heard Toni let loose with a string of expletives (or at least Abbie figured they all were- only half were in English and her command of the Russian language ended right around "vodka"). She knocked lightly on the door and called out, "Everything ok in there? Or should I come back later?"

"No, please come in."

Toni was seated at her desk, files all over the place (as usual) and her hair a level of unruly Abbie had never seen it. She couldn't help the grin that came across her face.

"Lose a fight with a wind tunnel?"

"Let me tell you about my lovely weekend." Toni said, raising her right hand just enough so Abbie could see the brace extending from her knuckles past her wrist.

"What happened? Are you ok?" Abbie's teasing smile was replaced by a look of genuine concern.

"Yeah I'm fine. You know the office softball game? Well Laura down in juvenile court was supposed to play, then her mom fell and broke a hip so she's back home dealing with that and the team was short a player. And somehow my name came up."

"I didn't know you played softball."

"I don't. Soccer, yes. Softball, no. But they were desperate and I know how to play so I said what the hell, why not. Apparently this is why not." she said, gesturing with her injured hand.

"How bad is it?"

"I sprained it pretty good in a slide- the doctor said I'm supposed to wear this thing for two weeks. Which would be fine if it wasn't my goddamn dominant hand. I just spent the last 20 minutes trying to put my hair up and you see where that got me!"

"Need a hand?" Abbie grinned and Toni rolled her eyes.

"You know that was so bad, right?" the redhead asked. Abbie's smile just got bigger. "But yes, I could use some help. Could you just-" she gestured to her hair "-do something with this? I've got court in an hour and I'd rather not go in looking like I slept on a subway platform last night."

Abbie took the brush and hair tie from Toni and set to work. "I'm having flashbacks to 7th grade sleepovers" she said drolly. Toni reached back and lightly smacked her arm with her good hand. "Hey, don't hit the stylist!"

Toni laughed and Abbie found herself smiling the way she always did when Toni laughed. She combed her fingers gently through the tangles and began parting her hair.

"What are you doing?"

"You always wear it braided for court. I can do something else though if you don't want me to."

"No, go ahead. I'm just…surprised you noticed that."

 _I notice a lot about you_ , Abbie thought. They sat in silence while Abbie finished. "There! I think you're presentable."

Toni dug a compact out of her bag to inspect Abbie's work. "Well if this whole law thing doesn't work out you could definitely do hair!"

Abbie snorted. "Don't tempt me. I came up here because Soriano's attorney either can't figure out how to send a fax to the right person or he can't tell the two of us apart. What with our similar names and how much we look alike."

Toni laughed. "And here I thought you just missed me all weekend."

"That too." Abbie said with a smile. She wasn't sure, but she thought she noticed a slight flush color Toni's cheeks at her reply. They were both quiet for a moment. "Anyway, here's those documents you requested." she said, picking up the forgotten manilla folder from the top of a nearby file cabinet.

"Thanks. Hey, what's your schedule like today?"

"Not too bad, I've got an arraignment on the Nicholson case later, a meeting with the detectives from my heroin case, and a motion hearing. Why?"

"I was thinking we could grab lunch."

Abbie smiled. "Yeah, I'd like that."

"I'll call you when I get out of court then."

"Sounds good. I guess I should let you get ready then." Abbie glanced at her watch. "And I should probably get back downstairs- I have a phone call to make."

"You mean an ass-chewing to give?" Toni laughed

"Yeah, that too. I'll see you later." Abbie moved from her perch on the corner of Toni's desk and was about to leave when she stopped. "Hang on" she told the redhead "Hold still."

"What?"

Abbie reached over and tucked a stray lock of hair back into Toni's braid, her hand lightly brushing her cheek. Toni's eyes fluttered shut momentarily at the touch.

"There. That's better."

"Thanks." Toni's response came out breathier than she intended. The two women regarded each other, the air around them almost electric.

"I should go" Abbie finally said. "Give me a call!" As she closed the door behind her, all thoughts of phone calls, court appearances, and even Soriano's irritating attorney were gone, replaced by the feeling of red hair sliding softly through her fingers.


End file.
